The Newest Rich Kid
by Monkey One
Summary: After the death of her mother, Kimiko is sent to live with her rich father in Hong Kong. There, she attends a prestigious international school where she learns that being is more than champagne and limos, but is full of danger and treachery. AU RaixKim
1. Chapter 1

**I wrote this a _very_ long time ago, I found it the other day and decided to re-write it. So here it is! All feedback is appreciated. **

* * *

><p>Kimiko threw herself down on her bed and stared up at the ceiling. Ignoring the suitcase she was supposed to be packing for her flight later on that night. The last three weeks had been a blur, and for that she was thankful.<p>

Exactly three weeks ago today, her mother had died. On her way to work as normal, Kaori Takashima had been hit by a speeding drunk driver. After being operated on for over five hours, the doctors had done all that they could and she passed away the following morning.

Her aunt had come from Kyoto to stay with her after that. Between grieving for her mother and helping with the funeral arrangements, Kimiko also had to decide whether she wanted to move to Kyoto with her aunt or to Hong Kong with her father, Toshiro Tohomiko. CEO and founder of Tohomiko Electronics, the largest electronics company to date and also a complete stranger to her. Before the reading of her mother's will, Kimiko hadn't even known the man's name.

However, at the reading of her mother's will, Kimiko's choice was made for her; she would live with her father as all custody rights had been given to him. If her aunt wanted to contest this she could, but under the looming threat of world class lawyers and a potentially expensive lawsuit, her aunt had conceded and Kimiko was left with no choice. After her mother's funeral she would leave Japan for Hong Kong where her father was currently residing to improve his business.

The funeral was a small quiet affair. All of those in attendance had been a large part of both Kimiko's and her mother's life, all except one person. Her father. The funeral had been the first time she'd seen him. At her mother's grave, after everyone had left, he introduced himself quietly and told her that he'd pick her up at four that afternoon before stalking off.

Shifting her focus from the ceiling to the clock on the adjacent wall Kimiko gave a loud sigh and stood up again. Ten minutes until _he_ came for her.

_Commoner __turned __princess_ she thought sourly as she took a glance around her bedroom. The once vibrant purple room now had its walls stripped bare and was devoid of any personal possessions. Deciding that she was done, she zipped up her suitcase and took it out into the main hallway of the apartment where the rest of her luggage was.

"Hime-chan, are you hungry?" her aunt asked softly from the kitchen

"Please don't call me that" Kimiko replied picking up a picture frame and depositing it into one of her suitcases "And not really"

"You haven't eaten today and you've got a long flight ahead of you. Please eat something" her aunt had a point. However, Kimiko truly had no desire to eat, especially with her stomach full of knots.

"No thank you, besides _he_ is going to be here soon." Her aunt padded over the carpeted floor and enveloped her in a tight hug.

"Everything is going to be fine." She kissed the top of her forehead "You can still come to Kyoto in the holidays" Tears staring rolling down Kimiko's cheeks, "And in two years when you're eighteen you can move back to Japan." Their embrace was broken by a harsh knock on the door.

"Oh God! He's here" Kimiko broke down into full fledged sobs. Kimiko's aunt quickly opened the door and gave her niece another tight hug.

Toshiro Tohomiko was a rather short man in his late thirties. Tanned skin, jet black hair with equally black eyes to match, a stark contrast daughter with her blue eyes and milky coloured skin. His rigid posture, pristine appearance and weary look obviously showed he was very much outside his comfort zone. The two crying women didn't help matters either. Kimiko, he decided, took after her grandmother rather than her own parents. While this wouldn't be an issue as it was quite a common occurrence, the blue eyes would cause quite the stir. Exceptional in Asians and relatively uncommon in most others, her parentage would undoubtedly be questioned and the media would speculate. Media speculation was something he didn't need at the moment. He knew his surprise heiress would garner a lot of attention from the media, but any reason to doubt her heritage. That would be chaotic.

_Need to get Pedrosa to control this _he thought to himself and looked over at the two women who currently had a death grip on each other _This situation needs to be controlled first. _

"Err, hello?" he said awkwardly, clearing his throat. His address however went unnoticed as his daughter and ex-sister in-law continued their hysterics. Realising he wouldn't get a response, he signalled to his driver to start removing his daughter's luggage. Worriedly he looked at the time; they had two hours before their flight.

Under normal circumstances, he wouldn't have minded missing the flight, but he and Kimiko had a meeting with the headmaster of her new school. As she was enrolled late and the school was full, he had to pay a hefty sum to get her a place. They couldn't afford to get to Hong Kong a day later. His daughter had a lot resting on this interview.

"Excuse me, Kimiko, Misa" He said tentatively "I know this is a very emotional departure, but we have to leave." Once again, he went unheard. Sighing, he walked through the threshold of the apartment and laid a firm hand on Kimiko's shoulder. She turned and looked up at him, tears still gathered in her eyes.

"We have to go," a few stray tears ran down Kimiko's cheeks and he let out heavy sigh, running his fingers through his hair. "Five more minutes, I'll be waiting in the car." Releasing her shoulder, he took a quick glance of the apartment and his expression turned into one of disdain. A Tohomiko shouldn't have to live in such squalor, especially not for sixteen years. Shaking his head, he picked up the last suitcase and made his way to his car.

Five minutes later, Kimiko, still wracked by the occasional sob, made her way out of her apartment. As she stood outside her father's car, she gave one last longing look at the place she'd called home for the last sixteen years and turned to face her father sitting in the car. He was drinking what she assumed was champagne out of a glass, leaning back into the leather upholstery of the car. The driver held open the door for her to get in.

Kimiko took a deep breath, as soon as she got in this car, she would start her new life. Her apartment, her friends, her job, her aunt, _her __mother. _All things of the past, unwelcome in her new life of drivers, maids, cooks and butlers. She took a moment to picture her mother's smiling face and then she did it. Kimiko entered the car and left behind everything she'd ever known until now. This was no longer her home and she was no longer a Takashima. Kimiko Tohomiko got settled in the car and began the first leg of her journey to Hong Kong.

* * *

><p><strong>So what do you think? Good? Bad? Awful?<strong>


	2. Chapter 2

**Firstly, I'd like to thank you all for such lovely reviews and to all those that read this. I can't believe that one short chapter could get 26 hits on the first day of being up. Although, it is possible that the majority of those people read the first line and clicked the back button. I apologise that I didn't get to finish and upload this chapter as soon as I would've liked, but I now know what it truly feels like to be an A Level student. But enough about that, here's the next chapter. Enjoy!**

* * *

><p>"Miss Tohomiko, which courses would you like to study?" An old man, who had earlier introduced himself as Master Fung, asked kindly, handing her a sheet of paper full of the subjects she could choose from. "If you decide in the middle of the year that you don't want to do a course anymore, it won't be possible to change and dropping it may affect your chances for a university place. Please choose wisely." Kimiko looked up at the old man who gave her a small smile.<p>

_Please __choose __wisely_. Kimiko thought to herself, it was a nicer version than what her father had said to her.

* * *

><p><em>The drive to the airport was a rather short one. For once, the streets of Japan were devoid of traffic and the driver, knowing the importance of this flight, seemed to be driving faster than the legal speed limit. Kimiko noticed this with contempt; she had hoped that the drive would be a long one so that she could spend more time watching the familiar sights of Tokyo before she had to leave. Yet, at the same time, she wanted the drive to pass quickly so that she wouldn't have to endure the tense silence much longer. <em>

_As they whizzed past a multitude of brightly lit shops, Kimiko's father quietly attempted to start a conversation. "Kimiko," he waited for her to face him "We aren't going to get to Hong Kong until about ten at night Japan time, that's nine Hong Kong time. It's only an hour time difference so you should be okay for the interview." At the mention of an interview, Kimiko's head snapped up. _

"_Interview?" She asked hastily, thinking that her father had meant a televised interview._

"_Yes, for the school you'll be attending." She nodded "Horatio Nelson International School, it's the best school in Hong Kong and one of the best in the world. As you missed the formal enrolment period, a lot has been done to get you this interview."_

"_No pressure then?" Kimiko rolled her eyes sarcastically and turned back to the window_

"_Not that much pressure. I've offered to replace all of the school's old computers as well as giving a fairly large donation, so they're bound to accept you. All you need to worry about is what subjects you plan to take." Toshiro started to fix his appearance as the airport came into view "That of course, is solely down to you." _

_The driver went opened Kimiko's door and offered a hand to help her out. Before she could get out of the car however, she felt a tight grip around her wrist. "I suggest you choose subjects befitting of your status. You are no longer the daughter of an office worker. Remember that."_

* * *

><p>The memory of the encounter irritated her, <em>befitting<em>_of__my__status__huh?_She thought sarcastically, she looked at her father. He raised an eyebrow and gave her a small smirk, as if he was daring her to pick a set of subjects that he wouldn't approve of. Deciding not jeopardise her future and get to back at him later, she studied the sheet.

_Please choose from:_

_-English or Cantonese literature_

_-Mathematics or Statistics_

_-Cantonese, Mandarin or English Supplementary lessons (If not already fluent)_

_-One other language and one other subject _

_Or_

_- Two other subjects_

She grimaced when she saw that she'd have to study some form of literature. It had never been her favourite subject. Noticing her displeasure, Master Fung explained,

"We like our students to be well rounded individuals" she nodded in acknowledgement.

Kimiko felt her father hovering above her shoulder; she looked up at him inquisitively.

"What do you think?" He asked softly

"Well I'm thinking about history, but I want to see the other subjects" She replied cautiously, unsure if history was a subject "befitting of her status". When he nodded and handed her a pen, she let out a breath she hadn't known she was holding. Ticking the appropriate box, she continued reading.

Twenty minutes later, Kimiko handed the paper back to Master Fung and he sat for a moment reading over her choices.

"Cantonese literature, Cantonese, Mathematics, history and electronics" he looked up at her "Is this correct?"

Before she could answer, her father interjected,

"She'd also like to take the Japanese exam this year." Master Fung nodded and made a note of this at the bottom of the paper

"Going by your choices, I assume you'd like to be placed in the English stream?" he asked her, she cocked her head to side showing her confusion "As this is a British international school in Hong Kong, our lessons are taught in either Cantonese or English."

"Oh, the English stream please" Master Fung wrote this down and looked at Toshiro

"Shall we negotiate fees?"

"Just tell me how much it is and I'll pay it" Toshiro waved his hand dismissively

"Well the normal fees tuition fees are 200,500 Hong Kong dollars, as this is a late enrolment, that's another 5000 dollars and the admission fee is 2000 dollars. Altogether that's 207500 Hong Kong dollars." Kimiko looked horrified at the figure, wondering how her father was taking this so calmly.

"Is cheque okay?" her father asked disinterestedly taking out his cheque book. Kimiko watched in interest as her father filled it out, finishing his signature with a flourish. Master Fung shook her father's hand as he accepted the cheque,

"Welcome to Horatio Nelson International School, Miss Tohomiko." He shook her hand and handed her a piece of paper "This is where our uniform supplier is located. The first day is of term is the 14th September, we look forward to teaching you."

"Thank you" she replied quietly and followed her father out of the building.

* * *

><p>Back in the car, Kimiko's father struck up a conversation with her,<p>

"I'm very happy with the subjects you chose, I thought you were going to pick something silly like film studies." He took his eyes off the road to look at her briefly "Your subjects are very '_befitting__of__your__status__'" _he laughed quietly at his own words

"You never know, film studies could turn out to be a very academic subject" she smirked at him

"It could be, if you were the daughter of Ricardo Pedrosa. The world's largest media mogul" he paused momentarily as he concentrated on the road "But unfortunately for you, you're the daughter of Toshiro Tohomiko; founder of the world's biggest electronics company."

"Not as rich then?" she asked, feigning nonchalance

"Put it this way, if I wasn't written out of the family fortune then I very well could be." He looked over at her "By the way, the first rule of being rich: Never talk about how much money you have" Kimiko nodded quickly before changing the topic

"Can I ask you something?"

"I don't see why not" he replied, brows furrowing in confusion at the sudden question

"Yesterday in the car and even on the plane, you were so different. I actually thought you were going to be one of those controlling fathers who try dictating their children's lives." She paused for a moment, trying to gather her thoughts "But now you're so relaxed, and…nice?" Kimiko noticed that as she'd finished speaking, the car had parked in an indoor car park but her father made no attempt to leave the car. He was looking at her intently instead.

"Yesterday in the car, after I gave you that little speech, it made you angry. And on the plane, I ordered everything for you as if you were unable to, you looked like you were ready to come over and attack me." He laughed a little "When we got back to the house that night, I remembered that you'd grown up with your mother and not me. You grew up in a world where you made your own decisions and your mum guided you, whereas I grew up in a world where all my decisions were made for me by my parents and I had no say. If I treated you how my parents treated me, you would literally give me an injury. Is this making sense?"

"I think so," Kimiko looked up at her father, studying his face. His eyes were as black as her mother's, she mentally noted to ask him about her blue eyes later. "Is that why you married my mum, because she never forced you into anything?" Toshiro smiled at her

"I knew you inherited my intelligence"

* * *

><p>Once out of the car park, Kimiko soon found out that they were in a very large up-scale shopping centre. Her father guided her along as she looked in amazement at the shops. Most she recognised as designer brands that she'd never been able to previously afford. She smiled as she remembered her revelation yesterday night.<p>

_Kimiko walked into the room that the maid, Chung Li, had shown her to. She stood, unable to move, completely shocked due to the sheer size of it. However, Chung Li misinterpreted her astonishment for disapproval._

"_Is it not good?" the maid asked in broken English and Kimiko whipped around to face her_

"_No, no, no. It's great! I love it!" Kimiko replied, suddenly thankful for her mother's insistence that she spent her Saturday mornings in an English language school. The maid merely nodded and left._

_Kimiko's luggage had already been placed in her room. Digging through a suitcase she knew was primarily full of clothes, she found a pair of pyjamas and got changed. She took in another scope of her room and her attention landed on the bed. The pink silk sheets and cream coloured satin pillows were an invitation she couldn't resist. Taking a running leap, she jumped into her bed and relished the feeling of the soft mattress that rippled around her. _

So much better than my bed in Japan _she __thought, __grimacing __at __the __thought __of __jumping __on __it __and __the __ensuing __pain. __After __turning __off __the __lights __from __the __switch __by __her __bed, __it __became __very __apparent __that __she __hadn__'__t __drawn __the __curtains. __Looking __to __her __left, __she __gazed __out __of __the __large __bay __window __she __hadn__'__t __paid __much __attention __to __before.__The __scene __reminded __her __vaguely __of __Japan; __brightly __lit __buildings __and __landmarks, __just __without __the __various __neon __colour__s __and __the __ocean __which __housed __a __rather __large __reflection __of __the __moon __and __a __near __starless __sky. __From __her __apartment __in __Japan, __she __hadn__'__t __been __able __to __see __the __side __of __Tokyo __that __tourists __came __to __visit __and __where __the __rich __people __lived._

_Sighing she got up and drew the curtains, hazily focusing the bank she could see in the distance a sudden realisation dawned on her. _

"I'm an heiress" Kimiko mumbled which caused her father to look down at her. If he had heard what she said, he made no mention of it.

"We're meeting with a very good friend of mine and her daughter for lunch." Toshiro started to explain, causing Kimiko to snap out of her reverie. "You're both same age and going to the same school, so I've arranged for her to help you buy whatever it is sixteen year old girls need while I sort out an advertising campaign with her mother." Kimiko signalled silently that she understood. She was actually quite daunted at the prospect of having to have lunch with one of her father's friend's let alone go shopping with her daughter.

Remembering several American films that she'd seen, she was infinitely thankful that her father had chosen to move to Hong Kong and not a western country. She had no idea which piece of cutlery had to be used for which particular item of food. Chopsticks made things considerably simpler.

* * *

><p>The lunch, to Kimiko's surprise, had been a relatively informal affair. Her father's friend, Ayame, had smothered her in a hug when they'd stepped into the restaurant, excitedly commenting on how she was a spitting image of her grandmother while her daughter, Keiko, stood there awkwardly embarrassed at her mother's antics.<p>

The rest of the meal was spent with Keiko asking Kimiko various things about her life was like before discovering who her father was and moving to Hong Kong. It was when the subject moved to boys that Kimiko's father interrupted them, and suggested they go shopping. Just as they were about to leave, Toshiro called Kimiko back

"Here, you'll get your own soon enough. But this will have to do for now" He handed her a black plastic card, smiling in amusement as she looked at it in awe "Don't go over the top, there's plenty of time to get what ever it is you need."

Kimiko soon learnt that Keiko was a very avid shopper, while this was beneficial for her as she had someone to help her get all the things she never thought that she'd need, it was also very exhausting. As they sat in the uniform supplier, waiting for Kimiko's uniform to have adjustments made to it; Kimiko asked Keiko something that had been on her mind for a while.

"Does everyone know about me?" she asked hesitantly, seeing Keiko's confused expression she elaborated. "Is today's headline, 'Long Lost Tohomiko Heir Found' or something?" Keiko laughed

"Surprisingly enough, your father made sure that pretty much nobody knows you're his daughter. I didn't even know he _had_ a daughter until two days ago." After hearing this Kimiko frowned, assuming that her father was ashamed of her due to her less than luxurious upbringing. Keiko saw this and quickly offered an explanation, "I'm pretty sure he did that so that you could grow up in peace. He probably didn't want cameras being shoved in your face all the time; believe me it's not fun in the least. I think that he's waiting until you're ready before he introduces you formally." Kimiko nodded, but before she could reply one of the workers informed her that her uniform was ready to be paid for.

Upon being presented her newly tailored uniform, she quickly decided that the uniform she wore in Japan was much better. A dark grey plaid skirt with a black jumper and white shirts all embroidered with the school's logo. Kimiko suppressed a grimace as she paid for it.

"Not the best uniform is it?" Keiko gave her a grin "The uniforms in Japan are a lot cuter." Kimiko laughed and nodded in agreement, thankful that Keiko was speaking Japanese so that she wouldn't offend the staff. Picking up the few other shopping bags she had, they left the store and returned to the restaurant where their parents were waiting patiently for them.

"I expected you to buy more" Toshiro commented, noticing Kimiko's three shopping bags "A lot more"

"We arranged for most of the stuff to be delivered to your house," Keiko quickly interjected "It should all be there by the time you get back."

True to her word, by the time Kimiko and Toshiro got home the entire foyer was covered in shopping bags.

"Did you buy something from every shop there?" Toshiro asked in amazement, Kimiko shrugged nonchalantly

"More or less" to Kimiko's surprise, her father didn't seem at all angry; just bemused. He placed a hand on her shoulder,

"Well this can't all stay here, you should start taking it to your room" he said before stalking off into his office.

In the end it had taken Kimiko, the maid, the cook and the cook's visiting son to move all of the bags from the foyer to Kimiko's bedroom, while her father appeared from his office from time to time to observe with an amused grin on his face. Just like her mother, his daughter was determined, and had an unexpectedly sizeable amount of upper body strength. He couldn't help but feel happy as he watched Kimiko; a large part of him regretted not being around to watch her grow up while another was determined not to alienate her as his parents done to him. She didn't need to feel the pressures of being an heiress just yet. He'd give her another few months to enjoy the luxuries, as much as he knew his shareholders wouldn't like it. His daughter's happiness was worth so much more to him than losing a few shares.

Just as the subject of his thoughts came down the stairs to get the last bag, she looked up at him her expression the complete opposite of his.

"You could've helped you know" a slight frown graced her face

"I did tell you not to go overboard. Next time, you should listen" he replied before retreating back to his office.

* * *

><p>Over the next two weeks, Kimiko saw very little of her father. Her assumption that he was married to his job was discredited by Keiko, who had visited frequently; telling her that he was working on a rather large deal between her mother's modelling agency and another media company, to both of which he apparently owed a reasonably large favour. For what, she didn't know.<p>

It wasn't until the night before she started school that she saw him at dinner. He gave her a small pep talk, letting her know that not many people knew she was his daughter so even though there would be rumours about her existence try to keep a low profile. He also went on to say the usual fatherly things such as, focus on your books and not boys and to stay away from drugs and alcohol because she'd have enough time for that when she turned eighteen.

It amused Chung Li, the maid, to no extent how quickly her employer had stepped into the role of fatherhood. Even though she couldn't understand most of the conversation, as her boss always spoke in Japanese to his daughter, it was evident from the way he acted that he cared deeply for his newly found offspring. All she hoped was that Toshiro didn't let his parents influence the way he raised the girl. After all, those two people were the reason he'd lost the girl's mother in the first place.

* * *

><p><strong>Yeah I couldn't think of a better Chinese name off the top of my head so Chung Li it is. A nice reference for all the Streetfigher fans? This wasn't exactly the most interesting chapter, but I wanted to build up the setting a bit, but the next chapter is going to be about the start of school and the like so it should be a bit more interesting. Sorry again for the delay in getting this up!<strong>


	3. Chapter 3

It was an incessant beeping that woke Kimiko up in the morning. Groggily rolling over, she turned of the alarm clock and checked the time; six in the morning. Grimacing, she contemplated going back to sleep for another half hour but due to the hour long drive, she only had two hours to get ready for her first day. She felt her stomach plummet at that thought. Even though knowing Keiko would be there alleviated her fear slightly, the fact that she'd be surrounded by other people that had been spoilt their whole lives was disconcerting.

Reluctantly she got out of bed, her stomach still in knots, and made her way into her en suite bathroom. For Kimiko, it was her bathroom that was a constant reminder of her newly found wealth. Ornately decorated with marble tiles and gold trimmings, it was reminiscent of a luxury hotel. As she got ready for the day, she thought of her friends in Japan. They would've started their second year of high school the week before; most of them would be applying for jobs if they didn't already have them while preparing for university entrance exams next year. The thought of not being able to do these things depressed her somewhat; she'd been looking forward to getting her first job, passing her university entrance exams, having her mother attending her graduation ceremony…

Kimiko shook off these thoughts, there was no point dwelling on what could've been. She quickly got dressed in her new uniform and threw her hair up into a simple ponytail. A quick glance at the clock told her she only had half an hour left before her driver came to pick her up for school. This prompted her to go down to the main dining room. However, when greeted with the sight enough food to possibly feed a small village, Kimiko's hopes of a quick breakfast were dashed.

"Make sure you finish it all," Jiang, the cook, warned with a smile "I'll be offended if you don't"

Despite Kimiko's and her father's move valiant efforts, there was still food piled on the table and neither father nor daughter had the time to continue eating. Jiang sighed "Guess it's off to the homeless shelter with the leftovers then?" he looked towards his employer for approval and received a hasty nod in response. Toshiro picked up a large briefcase and a set of car keys off the table,

"Kimiko have a good day, I'll see you at dinner." With that he clumsily kissed her hair and rushed out of the house, speeding past the driver that had come to drive Kimiko to school.

If she wasn't dreading the day ahead, she would've found the entire situation quite comical. Her father seemed so relaxed and calm normally, seeing him flustered was one thing, the baffled expression of her driver was another. She picked up her own bag and bid goodbye to Jiang who in turn wished her good luck on her first day.

* * *

><p>The drive to school was a nerve wracking one. The terse silence inside the car coupled with the tense atmosphere of the traffic outside had succeeded in making Kimiko feel nauseas. She wished she'd taken up Keiko's offer of going with her, at least then she would have someone to distract her. However that would require waking up even earlier than she was already required to. As soon as the car came to a halt, Kimiko bolted out of it, as if being inside any longer would cause her serious harm.<p>

Kimiko wasn't sure what she should do next. She watched as other students were dropped off, some with their parents but the majority by hired drivers. She watched as the other pupils met up with friends they hadn't seen over the summer and filed into the large intimidating buildings that made up the school. She briefly wondered where Keiko was and considered texting her to find out, but before she could even begin to locate her phone, a blur of black and grey flew into her, shrieking her name at an inhumanly high frequency. Upon realising it was Keiko, she laughed silently. The girl had been at her house only two days prior.

"You look so cute in the uniform" Keiko gushed while leading Kimiko into the school. Kimiko looked around in amazement; she'd been too tired the day of her interview to pay attention. The halls were painted a warm yellow with laminated floorboards, giving the school a jovial atmosphere. Being an international school, she'd expected everyone to be serious and high strung and yet students and teachers alike were milling around in the hallways chatting.

"They mailed you your schedule right? Whose form class are you in?" Keiko's voice grabbed her attention. Kimiko dug around in her bag and pulled out her timetable, it'd arrived yesterday but she hadn't had a chance to look at it. Keiko snatched it off her.

"So much for privacy then," Kimiko said sarcastically,

"You forfeited that when we became friends" Keiko waved her hand dismissively "Good we're both in Fung's form class. I had Mr Young last year; he made every morning absolute hell." Kimiko laughed and plucked the piece of paper out of Keiko's hands. Keiko got out her own schedule and both girls compared their timetables

"Okay, so we have Cantonese lit and maths together. That's good, because I'm awful at both"

"I don't think I can help you much with Cantonese literature, I couldn't even do Japanese lit" Kimiko said shaking her head; she took a closer look at her friend's timetable "You chose to do Mandarin?"

"Yeah, I'm already fluent in English and Cantonese" Kimiko's eyebrows shot up "My dad grew up in Hong Kong so he speaks both" Before Kimiko could reply, a pair of hands landed on Keiko's shoulders and she let out a scream. Turning around, they were faced with a tanned boy. Due to his height, and Kimiko's lack of it, she had to look up to see him better. His brown hair was messy and fell covered his green eyes slightly. This combined with his loose tie and trainers that obviously weren't in accordance with the dress code told Kimiko that he was a trouble maker. However, the wide grin plastered on his face let her know that he was relatively harmless.

"Raimundo Pedrosa!" Keiko exclaimed with mock anger before enveloping him in a hug.

_Pedrosa? __Must __be __related __to __that __media __mogul __papa __was __talking __about __before_ Kimiko thought to herself. Raimundo looked over at Kimiko, who was standing behind Keiko awkwardly,

"So pequena, who's your friend?" He asked, cold blue eyes meeting warm green ones. Keiko turned back to Kimiko and dragged her to Raimundo

"Kimiko Tohomiko, meet Raimundo Pedrosa." She gestured to him

"Ah! So you're Toshiro's little secret." Realisation dawned on his features "I should've guessed, you look a lot like-" Kimiko cut him off

"My grandmother," she rolled her eyes "Yeah, I know" Raimundo laughed

"Actually, I was going to say your dad. But now that you mention it, you do look a bit like her as well." He smirked at her "That's not exactly something I'd go around telling everyone though." Keiko saw the look on Raimundo's face, he was baiting Kimiko. Sensing her friend's anger rising she changed the subject

"So Rai, what form class are you in?" Raimundo stared at Kimiko for a few more moments before shifting his attention to Keiko

"Can you believe they stuck me with Chase again?" he groaned

"Even after what you did to him last year?" Keiko gasped "I thought he was going to get you kicked out!" Forgetting her previous grievance, Kimiko joined the conversation

"What happened last year?" she directed the question at Keiko

"Well genius over here thought it would be fun to wax the corridor we're standing in now and race shopping trolleys up and down them." Keiko stifled a laugh so she could continue "So not only did Mr Young fall and spill hot coffee over himself, he got hit square in the chest by a trolley with this smartass in it" Kimiko stood with her mouth gaping and looked at the brown haired boy, he merely shrugged.

"It was a minor complication" just as the words left his mouth a pale, black haired man walked past them, folder in hand.

"Well let's hope there aren't any _complications _again this year" his eyes narrowed at Raimundo "Registration starts in five minutes, be there in two."

"Yeah alright Chase" Raimundo answered, the teacher glowered at him before stalking off "I don't particularly want detention on the first day this year, so I'll see you two later."

Keiko led Kimiko round a corner and down a hallway to their form class, occasionally stopping and talking to people she knew; they sat next to each other in the back and waited for everyone else to turn up. Keiko's phone vibrated in her bag, she checked it and burst out in giggles before showing it to Kimiko. It was a text from Raimundo: _Your __friend, __she__'__s __a __feisty __one, __I __like __her._

Kimiko turned bright red while Keiko continued to laugh, ignoring a boy with glaringly obvious unnatural red hair pulling up a chair and sitting opposite them

"Hey, what's so funny" he asked, with a squeaky voice. Keiko stopped laughing to give him a dirty look

"Nothin' but your face Spicer" a deep southern voice said, Kimiko looked up to see a rather chubby blonde wearing a cowboy hat who was looking at the red head contempt "Move before I sit on ya" the cowboy threatened. The red head practically ran to the other side of the class room.

"Thank you Clay" Keiko said sweetly to the cowboy, he tipped his hat in response

"What's wrong with that guy?" Kimiko asked referring to the boy that had just vacated the seat in front of them

"Spicer? He's a slippery one, best ya stay away from him" Clay answered her, his Texan accent intriguing her

"Yeah, listen to Clay," Keiko agreed "His family's company is your dad's biggest rival, so you're better off staying away" she turned her attention back to her phone, laughing to herself

"Just because our families are rivals, it doesn't mean we can't be friends. Right?" Kimiko asked Clay

"Listen here little lady," Clay's face became completely serious "Them type of people ain't afraid to lay down with the dogs, and fleas don't bother 'em." Kimiko nodded slowly

"Clay doesn't mean to scare you, but what he's saying is true Kim." Keiko looked up from her phone briefly "They play dirty. Believe me you _do__not_ want to get involved in that" Clay nodded

"Now that's settled, I didn't get yer name miss?"

"Kimiko Tohomiko" She shook his offered hand "And you're Clay..?" she drifted off

"Clay Bailey" he smiled at her briefly then turned his attention to Keiko who called him

"Look what Raimundo's been saying about Kim!" Keiko exclaimed, giddy with excitement. Clay took the phone and as he read his eyebrows rose

"Well Kimiko," he cleared his throat "You've certainly made an impression on him"

"What's he been saying?" Kimiko asked, giving a sideways glance to Keiko's phone

"Ask me no questions and I'll tell you no lies" Keiko replied in a sing song voice. It was at this moment that Master Fung walked in with several students behind him

"Good morning everyone," he paused and waited for everyone to settle down "As most of you will know, I am Master Fung, current head teacher and your form tutor. I hope we will have a successful year." After he took the register, he cleared his throat to gain everyone's attention, "I also feel that it is worth mentioning to all those who attended Horatio Nelson last year, shopping trolleys and anything of that nature are forbidden." This caused many students to start roaring in laughter, however they were all quickly silenced when something forcefully hit the door causing a large thud. In rapid succession, something else hit the door and shouting was heard.

"GET OUT!" was heard followed by laughter. Master Fung opened the door and everyone clamoured behind him to see what was going on.

"Mr Young" Master Fung addressed the irate teacher in the opposite classroom. A smirking and a shoeless Raimundo was pushed out of the room

"Just get him out of my sight!" Chase responded pinching the bridge of his nose "I can't deal with him today" giving one more pointed glare at the sole cause of his agitation he sighed and slammed the door.

"So Mr Pedrosa," Master Fung turned his attention to the boy "Anything to say for yourself?"

"I guess I'm in your form class today?" Raimundo replied with a shrug of his shoulders. Master Fung sighed and allowed the boy entrance before returning to the front of the room.

"As this is the first day, the first three hours and lunch have been given to you to allow you to get to know your form mates," he paused "and apparently Raimundo." He gave the boy a look before continuing "Please utilise this time wisely, and should you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask as there is a saying" there was a collective groan from the students that had attended the school prior, "_He __who __asks __is __a __fool __for __five __minutes, but he who does not ask remains a fool forever_. Oh and Mr Pedrosa, don't forget to get collect your shoes on your way out"

The chatter in the room started up to a tolerable level as everyone began to talk to about what had happened during their summer holiday.

"So guys," Raimundo started, he'd pulled up a chair next to clay and opposite the girls "Exactly a month to my birthday, what you getting me?" he gave a wink to Kimiko and turned to Keiko who began talking

"How about my unconditional love?" she smiled at him and he grinned back

"I already have that," he looked over at Kimiko again "I wouldn't mind your unconditional love though" Kimiko felt her cheeks start to burn and thanks to Raimundo's grin knew her face had gone red. Keiko leaned over the table and swotted him about the head

"Ignore him," Clay said in his southern drawl "He's jus' tryin' to wind ya up"

"It looks like I'm doing a damn good job too" his smirk changed into a genuine smile "I'll let up a bit though. Only coz you're cute" he winked at her and Kimiko's face went red again

"Ignore him Kimiko, he flirts with anything that looks remotely female" Keiko said to her friend ignoring Raimundo's protests

"I'm not so sure 'bout the female part to be honest" Clay said giving Raimundo a side long glance.

"Hey!" Raimundo objected "I told you! Jesse dared me"

"What are you guys on about?" Keiko questioned, raising an eyebrow

"Ask me no questions and I'll tell ya no lies" Clay echoed Keiko's earlier words unknowingly with the tip of hat "But Rai, I'd appreciate if you change planes in Miami from now on"

* * *

><p>Kimiko sighed as she entered the electronics workshop that Clay had been kind enough to lead her to. She thought briefly of her day so far, after spending three hours with Clay and Raimundo she decided that while she liked Clay a lot, he was a really nice guy, she wasn't sure what to make of Raimundo. He purposely kept winding her up and when she'd finally retaliated and cursed him out he merely laughed and clapped her on the shoulder, expressing his fondness for her. This confused Kimiko greatly, usually when her temper got the best of her, and it often did, most people cowered away and left her alone until she'd calmed down. But Raimundo, he treated her as if she hadn't exploded at all. Very odd indeed.<p>

At lunch she was introduced to Jermaine Anderson, a fairly tall black boy with a distinct New York accent and close friends with Raimundo and Clay, though she suspected that there was something going on between him and Keiko. Much like Raimundo she learned, he was a trouble maker. Unlike Raimundo though, he didn't purposely try winding her up.

The group had opted to out at a local café, rather than have lunch in the school's cafeteria. Apparently, the food in one of the world's highest ranked schools wasn't much better than it was in any regular state school. On the way there, they'd met up with Jermaine's friend Omi who had transferred from a rival school on Mainland China the year prior. Kimiko knew that East Asians were stereotyped as being yellow, but Omi proved this to be true. When she'd first seen him, she thought he had jaundice.

Kimiko looked around the workshop; it differed greatly from all of the other classrooms. Workbenches, similar to those that would be seen in a mechanic, replaced the standard desks and four stools replaced the two chairs that were normally allocated to each desk.

There were about ten people in the class, barring her, and they were all male. Not recognising anyone she sat down at one of the workbenches near the front of the class and waited for the class to begin. She jumped when a bag slammed down on her right and from the corner of her eye she could see a head full of stark red hair contrasting with deathly pale skin.

"You're the Tohomiko girl right?" he asked her, she barely heard him his voice was that soft.

"Yeah" she turned to face him "Is my secret already blown?" she asked him with a grin, he seemed shocked that she was actually talking to him, which surprised her. Looking at him now he looked harmless, slightly gothic, but harmless nonetheless.

"Nah, I just have my ways" he have her a wolfish grin, his red eyes twinkling. She wanted to ask if he was wearing contacts or not, but didn't want to seem rude.

"So your name's Jack right?" she asked wanting to keep the conversation flowing, there was no point ostracising herself.

"Jack Spicer, robot creating extraordinaire" he held out his hand to shake and Kimiko took it

"Kimiko Tohomiko, misplaced heiress" he gave her another grin before focusing his attention on the teacher that had just walked in. The teacher introduced himself as Mr Pandabubba and began teaching. Kimiko quickly got bored and started staring at the other people in around the class before landing on Jack. He reminded her vaguely of a white rat but with red hair, he had a very boyish face which she would've found more attractive if he wasn't wearing eyeliner; she wasn't into Goths.

The rest of the hour dragged past before Kimiko found herself leaving, her and Jack were joking around while he led her to the car park. Upon seeing his driver he waved at her and left and she went over to where her driver had dropped her off this morning.

"Jack Spicer, interesting friend choice" Kimiko whipped around to see Raimundo leaning against a black jeep with his trademark grin.

"Is that a problem?" She challenged him

"Yes," he chuckled at her darkened stare "All I'm saying is be careful, if you want to be friends with the guy knock yourself out. But don't _ever_ talk to him about your dad's business plans" he held her gaze, his lips were quirked up but his eyes were completely serious

"He seems like a nice guy though" Kimiko started in his defence, it sounded pathetic to her own ears, Raimundo merely shrugged in response

"Keep on your toes" he looked over in the far distance, obviously done with that conversation. Kimiko looked around, her driver still wasn't here.

"Why are you waiting here?" she asked, but he was still squinting at something in the distance.

"Waiting for my younger sister, it's her first day here" he responded absentmindedly. In the distance he could just about see Jack talking to Pandabubba, this caused him to frown. He wasn't sure why Pandabubba had come here of all places and to teach? He was up to something. Raimundo mentally noted to tell his father about this. A rather tall girl flounced over to them, shiny brunette curls bouncing.

"Rai! Sorry I'm late" she said and he looked up to see his sister

"Don't worry about it. Adelina this is Toshiro's daughter Kimiko" he motioned to Kimiko with his head, "Kimiko this is my sister Adelina." Kimiko smiled at the girl in front of her who smiled back, she was the spitting image of her brother, just with long curly hair. They all watched as a black car pulled up in front of them and Kimiko's driver got out and began apologising profusely for being late. Raimundo laughed as he watched Kimiko trying to explain to her driver that it was fine.

"I'll see guys tomorrow" she said while climbing into her car

"Later, you mean" Raimundo chuckled; she didn't have a chance to ask him to clarify.

He then looked over at the far end of the car park where Pandabubba was now standing alone, as if he knew someone was watching him, Pandabubba turned and saw Raimundo looking at him. With a smirk he nodded at Raimundo in acknowledgement before re-entering the school building. It was going to be an interesting year indeed.

* * *

><p>As soon as Kimiko entered the front door she was greeted by her flustered father.<p>

"Kimiko!" he exclaimed throwing his hands in the air and dropping his tie in the process

"Erm…hi" She said slowly confused as to why her father was in such disarray

"You took so long to come home!" he put his hands on her shoulders and lead her across the foyer to the stairs "Get dressed we're going out to dinner. I need to formally introduce you some of my business associates before your interview"

"WHAT?" Kimiko screeched and whipped around to look at her father "You couldn't think of a better time to inform me? I'm not going to any dinner and I'm _definitely_ not doing an interview" her face had turned the same shade of red it had been earlier but this time due to anger and not Raimundo's shameless flirting

"Yes you are" he pushed her up the first step "Now get dressed, we're leaving in twenty minutes. Wear something appropriate." Before she could respond he had gone, presumably to find his tie.

Kimiko grumbled as she entered her walk in wardrobe that Keiko had eagerly helped her to fill.

"Something appropriate" she mumbled to herself as she walked past the rails of clothing. She wasn't sure what appropriate was in this situation. She picked up a dark red cocktail dress that she'd bought before. No, too short. Or was it just fine? She had just over ten minutes to get ready, which wasn't nearly enough. Sighing she picked up a black dress that a sales assistant had recommended she get, black was fine in all situations. The dress seemed suitable enough; it stopped just before her knees and was strapless. She hoped that she wasn't so nervous that she managed to drop food on it though; the dress was made of satin, getting stains out of it would be an absolute nightmare.

After slipping into the dress and brushing her hair out of its ponytail she sat at her vanity and began applying makeup. It was the bags forming under her eyes that reminded her how much the day had exhausted her, since she had school tomorrow she probably wouldn't be out too late. She needed all the sleep she could get.

"Kimiko are you ready?" Her father's muffled voice came from behind her bedroom door

"Nearly" she called out while slipping on a pair of black high heels. She gave herself a once over then threw open the door and followed her father out of the house and into a black car, similar to the one that drove her to the airport in Japan.

"So who exactly am I being introduced to?" Kimiko asked as the car sped down the back roads of Hong Kong "Just so I know"

"Well Ayame and Keiko will be there, you already know them. If Jurou, that's Keiko's dad, is back then he'll be there too. On a side note, he and Ayame divorced a few years ago so don't mention anything about that, the tension will be bad enough. Who else?" Toshiro paused for a moment to think "Stefan Volkov and his son Vlad, they own the biggest brand of Vodka in Europe; they purchase machinery from my company. Ricardo Pedrosa, I've mentioned him before do you remember?" Kimiko nodded,

"I met Raimundo and Adelina at school today. They're his children right?" Her father looked nothing short of pleased.

"That's right, only Raimundo and his older brother Filipe will be there today though. Who else did you meet today?" He turned to Kimiko and gave her his full attention. Although he didn't want to tell her who she could be friends with and who she couldn't, as his own parents had done that and the outcome was less than satisfactory, but he needed to make sure he wasn't associating with the wrong people.

"Erm, well I met Clay Bailey this morning in my form class" Kimiko was slightly confused as to why her father was so interested in who went to her school.

"I worked with his dad for a while, a really nice guy until he got remarried anyway." Kimiko nodded, she wanted her father to expand more on Clay's family life but knew it was none of her business so she continued,

"At lunch I met Jermaine Anderson and Omi Chang" Toshiro thought back, the name Anderson rang a bell, something to do with basketball. As for the other boy he wasn't sure, Chang was a common last name. "I met a bunch of boys in my electronics class. One of them was Jack Spicer" she said the name tentatively since it seemed to evoke anger in most people who heard it. Toshiro's posture stiffened and he sat up straight.

"Right. Well either stay away from him or drop the class" Kimiko's mouth dropped, her father had said it as nonchalantly as if he was telling her the weather.

"Give me one reason why I should" Kimiko asked her father defiantly

"Because he and his entire family are no good," her father said stiffly "I would've thought Keiko would have told you that."

"She did, so did Clay and Raimundo. But no one will tell me what's so bad about him" Kimiko was started to get agitated, all she wanted was _one_ solid answer and yet nobody was prepared to give her one.

"Look, we're nearly here now just drop it." Her father tried to placate her "I promise, if you don't get the answers you want during this dinner I'll tell you whatever it is you want to know."

"Fine." Kimiko huffed, if she didn't get her answers she had no qualms with letting all hell break loose.

* * *

><p>Kimiko followed her father into the restaurant and gasped in awe. The entire restaurant was bright and well lit due to the glass walls giving a spectacular panorama of the city, similar to the view from her bedroom but at this angle it was easier to see the ocean. There were many circular tables covered with peach table cloths and golden cutlery lying on off white napkins. The laid back and airy atmosphere of the place put Kimiko at ease.<p>

"Kimiko!" her father's voice snapped her out of her reverie "Why are you just standing there?" She looked up to see her father standing a distance away from her next to a waitress. Clearing her head she walked towards her father as fast as her shoes allowed. As the waitress lead them across the room, Kimiko expected to be seated at one of the tables she'd previously been admiring however, they were lead right to the back of the restaurant and onto a private balcony which was surrounded by trees. Apparently privacy was a main concern tonight.

Already seated at a long rectangular table were Keiko, her mother and a man Kimiko assumed was Keiko's father, opposite them were two blonde men, both red in the face due to the heat.

"Kimiko!" Ayame stood to greet her, kissing her on both cheeks "Look at you! Absolutely beautiful" Kimiko flushed red from embarrassment; she was doing that a lot today it seemed.

"Thank you" she smiled graciously and took a seat next to Keiko, her father sitting on her right at the head of the table.

"See I told you!" Keiko said quietly to Kimiko "That dress looks great on you"

"She's right you know" a heavily accented whisper came from her right causing her to jump. She turned to the right to see none other than the smirking face Raimundo Pedrosa.

"Raimundo." She rolled her eyes "So great to see you. Again." She turned around fully to see him properly and noticed two men standing behind him. Raimundo motioned to them both.

"This is my brother Filipe" Kimiko stood to shake his hand, he was shorter than Raimundo but despite his black hair and brown eyes he looked a little like his brother. "And this is my father" a fairly tall man who was the spitting image of Filipe and also shorter than Raimundo came and kissed the back of her hand.

"Such a beautiful young lady," his accent was much stronger than Raimundo's, it captivated her. He gave her a warm smile before calling over to her own father "Thankfully she didn't get any of your genes."

"Those blue eyes are completely Tohomiko blood I'll have you know" her father responded, his own eyes twinkling

"Carlsson, you mean" Raimundo's father jeered back taking a seat on the left of Toshiro. Kimiko went back to her seat but before she could pull her seat toward her she found that it was pushed in for her. Twisting slightly she saw Raimundo give her a wink and sat down opposite her. The same waiter that had led them to the table came and took their drink and starter orders, Kimiko who wasn't sure what most of the things on the menu and so she chose to order oysters, the same as Keiko.

It wasn't before long that their starters came and then their main courses, with idle chit chat and many jokes carrying them into the evening; it wasn't the most entertaining dinner but it wasn't completely boring either. Raimundo, Kimiko had realised, had much of his father's personality; charming, funny and fond of trouble. Filipe on the other hand was thoughtful, quiet and composed. She found it rather ironic that Filipe and his father looked so much a like when they were stark opposites. Just as the group finished their main course the Volkov's, who hadn't spoken much throughout the evening, bid their goodbyes and left some money on the table, apparently they had to attend another engagement before flying back to Russia the following morning. After their departure, the conversation at the table took a much more serious tone.

"So, Raimundo tells me that Jack Spicer is back this year" Ricardo announced with a dark look crossing his face "As is Pandabubba." Keiko's parents looked shocked; obviously they hadn't been privy to the news.

"Pandabubba is actually one of Kim's teachers," Raimundo said leaning back in his chair and closing his eyes as a cool breeze swept past the table "Jack's in her class." Before anyone could respond a waitress came out onto the secluded balcony and asked for their desert order. Kimiko's face lit up in glee as she looked at the desert menu, this elicited a laugh from the rest of the table. As the waitress made her way back inside of the restaurant, oblivious to the serious nature of the conversation that was about to take place, everyone had their eyes trained on her back until she was well inside.

"Kimiko," Filipe's soft voice caught her attention "I suppose you're confused as to why Jack Spicer and Pandabubba are such an issue. To you, they're harmless; just a boy from school and an electronics teacher right?" Kimiko nodded her head, finally somebody understood.

"Well believe me they're not." The hard edge in his voice shocked her, but she had no time to dwell over this as he continued, "I'll try to make this as brief as possible. While I was doing my successor training, similar to what Raimundo is doing now but we lived in England at the time, I was contracted to be the publicist of a model and her daughter, Margerie and Ashley Katz. Obviously I had to spend a great deal of time with them and Raimundo became good friends with Ashley, then Jack Spicer transferred into Ashley's school. Jack's family wanted to make Ashley the face of Spicer Electronics, but Margerie refused because she said the schedule would interfere with her education. So they tried using Jack to get close to Ashley, but that didn't work, then they started using methods of a more…violent nature. I won't go into detail but it included arson, assault and attempted homicide among other things." Kimiko's face had drained of all colour as she stared at Filipe in a mixture of absolute horror and shock, it took her a while to find her voice.

"So why aren't they in jail" her voice was quiet and if it hadn't been for the thick silence at the table she would never had been heard.

"Because Pandabubba is blackmailing them with something that's why" Raimundo answered, his cold tone made her flinch "They tell, he tells." Their waitress entered the balcony again with a cart in tow containing their deserts and the table once again fell silent until she left.

"Exactly," Ayame continued "Even though Pandabubba and the Spicer's no credibility in our world, it doesn't make them any less dangerous. They even tried attacking Raimundo while he was walking Ashley home once. So just stay away from him if you can."

"Every once in a while Margerie gets a _reminder_, so that she stays silent." Kimiko turned to her father who had started talking "I think you'll agree with me when I say nobody wants to be in that position. I may not be involved in the dodgy dealings that go on these days, but that doesn't mean I don't have skeletons in the closet." Kimiko let out a heavy breath,

"Thank you for finally telling me," she looked at the table, unable to meet everyone's serious faces "I'll try to be more careful."

"Good, that's all we want." Ricardo said warmly "With that said, I think it would be wise for you to start going to school in the car with Raimundo and Adelina. What do you think Toshiro?" Kimiko's father looked at her thoughtfully, his eyebrows furrowing as he seemed to be remembering something that disturbed him slightly.

"I think that would be prudent." He said slowly "The driver was late in picking her up today, it could just be a coincidence but with Pandabubba back I'd rather not take my chances." Kimiko didn't like that they were treating her as if she was some sort of precious china doll that would break with even the slightest of pressure. She'd studied Karate for over ten years back in Japan, she was sure she could take care of herself should the need arise. However, she kept her thoughts to herself the conversation tonight unnerved her quite a bit, she just hoped that she'd have the tolerance to put up with Raimundo in the mornings. As their fathers were discussing their new travel arrangements Raimundo beckoned her forward and he leaned over the table to say something obviously only meant for her ears "Don't worry Kimi, I'll protected you from the bad guys" as he reclined back into his seat and winked at her. Kimiko knew she was being baiting and settled for narrowing her eyes at him and saying nothing further.

"Well now that's out of the way" Raimundo said with a more jovial voice, "We shouldn't let this perfectly good desert go to waste should we?" This caused his father to erupt with laughter and clap him on the shoulder

"Son, you're becoming more like that Bailey boy every day."

* * *

><p>In a house not too far from the restaurant a similar meeting was taking place.<p>

"Business is getting worse and worse by the minute. At this rate we'll be filing for bankruptcy!" Jack watched as his father slammed his fist on the table in anger causing the cutlery to rattle, before quickly staring intently at his plate. As much as he did like the drama, deception and treachery his life came with, he didn't really want to be dragged into another one of Pandabubba's plans. There was a difference between being wanting to be number one and being corrupt to the core; something that didn't sit well with him. "We need to be one step ahead of whatever it is that Toshiro's developing, but finding anything out is impossible. Everything is kept at the highest level until he sends plans to factories to begin production, by then it's too late. There isn't even anything to blackmail him with!" Jack's father let out a frustrated growl; he'd been trying for years to dismantle Tohomiko electronics only to see it prosper. Although Toshiro was from an old money family and wouldn't be destitute should his company fail, creating a family feud beyond the point of reconciliation was something easily done and could be dealt with at a later date.

"You're wrong there Spicer," Jack practically heard the smirk in Pandabubba's voice "Jack tell your father who you met today." Jack mentally sighed before slowing looking up to meet his father's eye.

"Kimiko Tohomiko" he said quietly before returning his attention the intricate designs of his plate.

"So, same as the last time?" Jack heard his father ask the delight evident in his voice.

"Same as the last time" Pandabubba confirmed before addressing Jack again "You know what this means don't you son?"

"Yes sir," he didn't dare look Pandabubba in the eye; that was asking for a suicide mission "Get close to the Tohomiko girl."

"Good" his father said focusing his gaze on Jack until they locked eyes again, Jack understood the message perfectly_;__you__'__ve __got __one __chance, __don__'__t __you __dare __mess __this __one __up._

* * *

><p><strong>So there's a bit of action for you all, I hope this is long enough to make up for the wait. What can I say? College is awful. I finish on Friday and I have 3 weeks holiday so hopefully I can get some more writing done. Also, sorry if there are any wordssentences without spaces, I honestly don't know why when I upload all of the italics stick together. Such a pain! Anyway tell me what you think so far! **_  
><em>


	4. Chapter 4

**Once again thank you for all of your reviews and to answer mew mew 124: there will be more of Omi, Jermaine and Chase in the future. They each have their own sub-plots actually; although I think Jermaine's is the most interesting, in my opinion anyway. **

**Hope you enjoy this chapter!**

* * *

><p>The next morning came all too soon for Kimiko, time seemed to fly by as she got ready for school and found herself finishing her breakfast just as the sound of the doorbell announced the arrival of her new driver. She heard Chung Li move towards the door and open it, she chatted with the driver for a bit in rapid Cantonese that Kimiko had no hope of understanding. Although the behaviour was more than unprofessional, Kimiko didn't mind in the least, it gave her a few moments to mentally prepare herself. After all, she would be in a confined space with Raimundo for an hour. She wasn't sure she could put up with him this early in the morning, every day. She let out an audible groan causing Jiang, who was clearing the plates from the table to look up at her in concern.<p>

"Is everything alright?" he asked warmly, Jiang found that being the personal cook for families often meant that he had to take on the role of a pseudo-psychologist. Kimiko's head snapped up

"Oh! I'm fine, I'm fine." She waved her hands for emphasis "Just not looking forward to spending an hour with Raimundo every morning."

"The youngest Pedrosa boy," Jiang laughed merrily "I don't think he'll be much of an issue in the mornings." Kimiko gave him an unsure look but nodded anyway and bid him goodbye before leaving.

Just as Jiang said, Raimundo wasn't a problem at all that morning. He slept for the whole journey. Kimiko had taken the time to get to know Adelina instead; she seemed like a really nice girl. Kimiko learned that there were actually eight Pedrosa children, three boys and five girls, and was entertained with stories of their antics while they were living in England, she was very surprised to find out that Filipe was actually the mastermind behind all of their plans.

Even after the car arrived at the school Raimundo was still asleep and showed no signs of waking up any time soon. Kimiko leaned over to shake him awake but Adelina stopped her, she pulled out a bottle of ice cold water and shoved it under her brother's untucked school shirt. He woke up with a start jumping as far out of his seat as his seatbelt would allow him, then he glared at the two girls in the car.

"Thanks" he pulled the bottle from under his shirt "A lot." Adelina giggled and kissed her brother's temple.

"You're welcome" she smiled at him and got out of the car. Kimiko got out of the car and waited for Raimundo, they both made their way into the school together.

"So Kim," Raimundo started, slinging an arm around her shoulder "What do you have today?" Kimiko gave him a bemused side glance,

"Cantonese with Mr Young, maths with Mr Cheung, history with Mr Zhou and electronics with Mr Pandabubba." She answered as Raimundo steered them round a corner into a hallway where their form classes were. He removed his arm from around her shoulders and made his way to his form class, opposite hers, before he went inside he called out to her,

"Wait here for me; we're in the same Cantonese class." After her nod he entered his form class and she did the same.

Kimiko put her bag down on the desk she was sitting at yesterday and then drew a chair up to Clay's which was behind her.

"You alright Clay?" She asked him tiredly, he lazily drew his attention from the front of the room to her

"Just tired" he stretched before resting his face on his hand "And a bit hungry. Got up late so I didn't have enough time for a proper breakfast." Kimiko chuckled before rubbing his shoulder sympathetically. She was cut off from replying by the door slamming open and Raimundo waltzing in. He silently acknowledged Clay with a nod before digging through Kimiko's bag.

"Raimundo?" She asked annoyed "What do you think you're doing?"

"Hold on," he replied not looking up. Kimiko stood there tapping her foot impatiently while Raimundo carried on looking through her belongings. It turned out he was looking for her phone, he said nothing as he started tapping away on it expertly. When the phone vibrated signalling that a text had been received he frowned, obviously displeased with its content. He sighed and handed the phone to Kimiko.

"Keiko's going to be a bit late today," he informed them "Apparently she had a bit of a crisis this morning or whatever." He rolled his eyes unimpressed with his friend's situation.

"Okay," Clay said slowly "But why's that such a problem?"

"Well, I needed to ask her something. But obviously I can't do that now" he made an annoyed face

"Right" Kimiko said slowly and Raimundo bid them both goodbye before returning to his own form class. "Well that was weird," Kimiko commented

"Raimundo's a weird guy" Clay and Kimiko both looked up to see two tall girls walk past and sit at the desk behind them. It was a blonde girl that passed the comment.

"He's cute though," the brunette giggled. Clay turned slightly to see them better,

"Ashley, Dyris. Yer both lookin' well" he greeted them politely. The brunette gave him a slight sneer before diverting her attention to a hand held mirror while the blonde gave him a small smile.

"Thank you Clay," she replied graciously "You're nice and tanned from being in Texas all summer. It's a good look for you" this caused Clay to blush slightly; luckily this was unnoticed by all three girls. Kimiko studied her, shiny blonde hair and flawless skin. Kimiko couldn't find fault about her, even half listening to her conversation with Clay she seemed friendly enough, Kimiko was jealous. "So who's this?" the blonde asked referring to Kimiko.

"Oh this here is Kimiko" Clay turned to Kimiko "Kim, this is Ashley. Rai might've mentioned her once or twice." Realisation dawned on her; this is the girl they were talking about yesterday at dinner. Kimiko's jealousy was instantly replaced by sympathy, but she tried hard not to let it show. She had a feeling she wasn't supposed to know about Ashley's ordeal.

"Hey," Ashley smiled at her while her friend, Dyris, continued fixing her makeup ignoring her completely "You're new this year?"

"Yeah, some stuff happened so I moved to Hong Kong from Japan" Kimiko answered her, not wanting to give her full story to someone she'd just met. Ashley merely nodded sympathetically but asked no further.

"I understand completely."

* * *

><p>Raimundo leaned on the wall outside Kimiko's form class waiting for her to come out so they could go to their Cantonese lesson and at the same time hoping that he would see Keiko. She was ignoring his calls and texts so eventually he had to use Kimiko's phone, knowing that she'd answer. Instead of seeing Keiko as he'd wanted to, he saw Jack hurrying down the hall instead. As he reached the door, Jack finally saw Raimundo who was watching him intently with a cold stare. Resisting the urge to flinch he stared blankly at the boy.<p>

"Hurry up Jack," Raimundo said his voice devoid of malice or mirth "Wouldn't want to miss anything." Jack gave him a cautious glance as he entered the room, Raimundo heard Master Fung chastise him gently before the door was shut. Raimundo had been kicked out again by his own form tutor, the mere sight of him angered Mr Young, but he didn't dare go into Master Fung's again. The punishment would be much more severe than a gentle reprimand.

The sound of light footfalls caught Raimundo's attention and looked up to see Keiko. As she approached the door to her form class, he grabbed her by the sleeve of her jumper causing her to jump.

"Rai, you really need to stop this scaring business." She said softly as she drew him into a quick hug "I would've been here earlier, but I curled my hair this morning and as soon as I stepped out I realised how humid it was. So obviously I had to go back and-" She was interrupted by him raising his hand to silence her.

"What's going on with you two now?" He asked her bluntly. Keiko sighed; she didn't really want to deal with this right now. She knew Raimundo wouldn't start attacking her, although to anyone overhearing the conversation it would sound that way, he was just trying to find things out. She felt bad about putting him in this position, especially since he was going through his successor training.

"Nothing," she answered him exasperated "Everything is the same."

"So that's why I found him on my doorstep after dinner yesterday?" he rose an eyebrow "Not many people would do an hours walk if nothing was wrong, especially in this humidity." Keiko pinched between her eyebrows.

"What did he tell you exactly?" Keiko arched her own eyebrow.

"Nothing, that's why I'm asking you."

"Look, he's just a bit upset that I still won't tell my parents about him and that I'm making him keep us a secret."

"Why?" The bell rung and students began filing out of their classrooms

"Because," Keiko started "You know what my dad's like. My mum would accept it eventually, but my dad would never be okay with it. He'd probably move me to Japan even though he hates the place." Keiko watched Raimundo's eyes move behind her and she turned around to see Kimiko. She hugged the girl in greeting and complimented her on her hair. Raimundo noticed that although it was in a ponytail again it was curled this time.

"Keiko, you're going to be late" Raimundo stated and the girl nodded, understanding that Raimundo didn't want to continue the conversation in front of Kimiko.

"I'll see you two later." She waved at them both and joined the throng of students heading towards their lessons. Raimundo pushed himself off of the wall to stand up straight and started walking in the opposite direction of Keiko.

"What was that all about?" Kimiko asked, referring the tête à tête between her two friends.

"Don't worry about it" Raimundo replied softly her before yawning "you ready for an hour of hell?" he asked his voice going back to the cocky light hearted tone she was used to.

"Mr Young can't be _that_ bad" she laughed

"Believe me you have no idea," Raimundo said with a shake of his head.

The lesson turned out to be as hellish as Raimundo had described it to be. Mr Young had made them sit up ramrod straight for the whole hour as he droned on about basic Cantonese grammar, never pausing to let the students take notes or writing anything up on the board. When someone asked him clarify one of the grammar rules, they received a glare that would freeze hell over. Not even Raimundo tried winding him up, to the point that he was even in correct uniform. At the end of the lesson they were each given thick textbooks that were dropped on their desks carelessly, landing with a loud thud that scared Kimiko each time she heard it. For homework they were to learn everything in the first chapter of the book and perfect it for next week's lesson, to make sure they'd done the work, Mr Young had also set a test for them that day.

After the lesson was over Kimiko let out a sigh of relief. She was glad she only had those lessons once a week, she didn't know if she could stand to do them more often.

"Mr Cheung is really nice, just make sure you do all of his homework. He gets real anal about that" Raimundo had warned her outside her maths classroom before going off to his physical education class.

* * *

><p>The rest of the day had been much more enjoyable than her first lesson. Before lunch, she had a free period that she spent with Keiko and Omi.<p>

"Keiko" Kimiko called her friend only to be ignored "Keiko!" she called again snapping her fingers in front of her friend's face.

"Huh? What?" Keiko jolted out of her reverie. Omi looked at her worriedly,

"Friend Keiko, are you okay?" his voice was full of concern which caused Kimiko's heart to melt "You seem so in of it today." Kimiko squealed and hugged him.

"Omi! You're so cute!" she gushed over the boy while clutching his head to her chest. She couldn't help but find the small boy's misuse of English adorable. Omi's face turned bright red.

"Why thank you Kimiko" Omi replied before puffing out his chest "Most girls can't help but find me cute" after that sentence, Kimiko immediately ended the embrace.

"Keiko. What's wrong with you today?" Kimiko turned back to her friend who was currently staring out of a window absentmindedly.

"I'm fine." Keiko looked over at the clock hanging on the wall of the empty classroom they were currently sitting in. "Let's go meet the others at the café." Kimiko and Omi followed out behind her, both sharing a worried glance.

"So Keiko are you gonna order for us or what?" Raimundo asked impatiently as a waitress stood over them, Keiko jumped and nodded.

"Sorry," she mumbled then proceeded to tell the waitress what they others had asked for as she was the only one that spoke Cantonese. They all sat in a tense silence, from time to time a conversation started up but it died quickly. Finally Raimundo got fed up,

"Look, can you two just sort out your problem?" He groaned loudly looking at Keiko and Jermaine.

"There's nothing to sort out," Jermaine said looking at Keiko square in the eyes "There's no problem. Not anymore." Keiko threw her glass at him and he narrowly missed it. The other occupants at the table stared wide eyed as it smashed on the floor.

"Fuck you," she said coldly then left.

"What just happened here?" Clay asked cautiously

"I just got a huge weight off my shoulders. That's what." Jermaine said bitterly and stalked off by himself.

* * *

><p>Raimundo walked down a hallway leisurely, he had got back to school earlier than the others and had a free period. Although he could've gone home early, he chose to wait for Kimiko. This however meant he had nothing else to do. Catching a glimpse of blonde hair he'd know anywhere, Raimundo quickly turned a corner to catch up with Ashley but a conversation in an empty classroom piqued his interest.<p>

"You and the Tohomiko girl both have my lesson next. In order to ensure that there are…sufficient opportunities to get close to her, you'll be working together on a project for the rest of term." Raimundo positioned himself so that he could get a better view of the two holding the conversation; Pandabubba and Jack Spicer.

"What if she doesn't choose me?" Jack said in his nasally prepubescent voice that irritated Raimundo immensely.

"Not to worry, the pairs were 'randomly' selected." Pandabubba clapped Jack on the shoulder; however Raimundo noticed that he didn't remove his hand. "Don't mess this one up Jack," Jack winced as Pandabubba's fingers dug into the space between his shoulder and neck. "_Everything _depends on this_." _Jack nodded quickly and the other man let go of his shoulder and gave him a chilling smile.

Raimundo decided this would be an opportune moment to move away from the door before he got caught. Sauntering down the corridor as if he hadn't heard anything he made his way to the benches behind the school where Ashley would undoubtedly be. Once he left the back doors he saw a lone figure sitting on the table of a picnic bench, Raimundo sighed; everyone was having problems today it seemed.

"Hey Ash," Raimundo greeted the girl quietly taking a seat next to her "Everything okay?" He hated seeing his friend so withdrawn although he couldn't fault her for it. Ashley laid her head lightly on Raimundo's shoulder.

"As okay as they can be I suppose," she let out a soft sigh "Things were getting better then I come back today only to find out that _they're here_." Raimundo rubbed her shoulder knowing who she was talking about; he decided to change the topic instead.

"Do you remember when we used to hate each other?" He chuckled to himself and Ashley sat back laugh and smiled as well.

"We had some fun times. Like when I pushed you down that hill so you fell in the pond. You were covered in frogs" Raimundo was glad that his friend had started laughing.

"Hey!" he said with mock anger "I have a phobia of them now. They got in places that are strictly reserved for females." Ashley gave Raimundo a bemused glance.

"I hope I'm fortunate enough not to be one of those females."

"No offence, but I'm more into dark haired girls," he smirked wickedly at Ashley "Girls whose hair turns green after swimming don't really do it for me." Ashley shoved Raimundo forcefully causing him to fall off the bench onto the grass.

"There's a new girl here this year, I met her in registration this morning." Ashley started "Black hair, pale skin, roughly the same height as Keiko. You know her?" Raimundo gave her a slight nod in reply.

"I'd like to think I know her fairly well."

"Of course." Ashley rolled her eyes, "Too pretty for you to ignore?"

"I take offense to your slander of my character," Raimundo said with mock indignation "I'll have you know that we're going to become business partners in the future."

"And yet you strike me as the type to mix business with pleasure" Ashley slid off the bench and Raimundo scoffed "Anyway I'm off, I've got some stuff to take care of. You doing anything for your birthday?"

"Party at the club on the week after." He answered from the ground with his hands behind his head.

"Alright. So I'll be getting an invitation in the post?" Raimundo nodded in confirmation "Well I'll see you tomorrow." After Ashley left Raimundo carried on lying on the grass, enjoying the warm breeze across his face. His phone vibrated in his pocket so he took it out and checked it; there was a text from his oldest sister Teresa informing him that she and her twin sons would be coming from Macau this evening, before going on to ask him if he could make reservations at a restaurant as she had an important announcement. Raimundo briefly wondered about what it was that she wanted to share, then again his sister was always one for dramatics.

Looking at his calendar he saw that Kimiko had her interview on a popular talk show produced by his father's company this week, her father probably hadn't explained it in detail to her though. He played with the gold medallion hanging around his neck as he carried on looking at his schedule for the month. He had a few meetings that he had to attend with his father in the weeks coming; he made a mental note to buy some new formal shirts.

Soon enough Raimundo found himself woken up by something blocking the sun, sitting up he saw Kimiko and Jack standing over him. He checked the time on his watch; school had ended five minutes ago.

"Morning sunshine," Kimiko greeted sarcastically and offered her hand to help him up. Raimundo yawned and stretched before taking her offered hand and standing up. Kimiko couldn't help but notice how cute he looked with his lopsided sleepy grin.

"Too bad your big head was blocking out all of the sun" and suddenly Raimundo had lost all of his appeal. "Jack don't you have a _project _to start or something? I hear it's very important" He narrowed his eyes at the pale boy standing opposite him who mirrored his actions.

Jack stared directly into Raimundo's eyes, he knew. His plans to get closer to Kimiko were about to get a lot harder if Raimundo was constantly in the way. He was just one more person he'd have to get rid of.

"Rai, leave him alone. He isn't doing anything." However Kimiko's demand went unheard by both boys, so instead she grabbed Raimundo's arm and dragged him away from Jack. "Raimundo, let's go!" He begrudgingly let himself be led away but didn't break his gaze on Jack until the other boy had turned away.

"He was showing me a shortcut to the car park!" Kimiko said exasperatedly "What's so wrong in that?"

"Yeah, because there's nothing wrong with letting a potentially dangerous person lead you around somewhere you barely know." Raimundo grumbled out in response "Kimiko just please stay away from him, he's bad news." Hearing the tired tone in his voice Kimiko studied his face carefully; he had two dark rings around his eyes.

"Raimundo?" She asked quietly causing him to stare down at her "Are you okay?"

"Extremely tired." He responded running his fingers through his hair, "I didn't come back from Brazil until the day before school. I'm still a bit jet lagged." Kimiko thought that wasn't the only reason he seemed so exhausted but didn't press him. He was obviously caught up in the middle of what was going on between Keiko and Jermaine.

"I'll try to stay away from Jack." She acquiesced with a sigh as they reached the car that was waiting for them. She didn't want to add more to whatever it was he was dealing with at the moment, it was obvious that he'd been told by both of their father's to look out for her.

"Thank you." he replied with a nod and opened the car door for her, "Oh, I forgot to ask. Do you mind coming with me to run a few errands? Adelina's going home with one of her friends so it's easier for the driver to drop us off and then drive us both home. It's up to you though." Kimiko waited until they were both in the car before answering him with a nod. Raimundo leaned forward and addressed the driver, "We're going to Tsim Sha Tsui first." The driver tipped his head in acknowledgement.

* * *

><p>Raimundo grabbed Kimiko's hand and expertly lead her through the crowded streets of Hong Kong before freezing causing Kimiko to walk into his back. Following his line of site to a shop up ahead she saw a girl carrying several shopping bags talking to someone else.<p>

"Play along." Raimundo quietly instructed her and wrapped his arm protectively around her waist. Kimiko had no chance to ask what was happening as the girl she'd seen earlier approached them, shooting Kimiko dirty looks until she stood before them.

"Rai!" she squealed in a high pitched voice that grated on Kimiko's ears and plastered on a face smile, "Fancy seeing you here! And your…flavour du jour." She sneered at Kimiko at the end of her sentence before gazing up at Raimundo with her sparkling hazel eyes showing off her perfect pearly white teeth. Kimiko felt her cheeks flush red and was about to snap at the girl but Raimundo's tightened grip stopped her.

"Look Danielle-"Raimundo started but was interrupted by the girl

"Sarah," she snapped irately and crossed her arms angrily

"Whatever," Raimundo said dismissively "_You_ were only a flavour du jour to me. This however," he inclined to Kimiko with his head, "is my girlfriend. So I suggest you find someone for the night." Sarah was left there gaping in anger at Raimundo's harsh remark whereas Kimiko had to stifle her laughter. As Raimundo guided Kimiko along the road, she looked back and gave Sarah a smug look only to receive a stormy one in return.

Raimundo kept his arm firmly wrapped around Kimiko's waist as they continued walking up the road. He could feel Sarah's eyes burning into his back and sighed, he didn't want it come to this. Raimundo gently pushed Kimiko up against a wall and closed the gap between their faces until their lips were almost touching.

"Put your arms around my neck," he mumbled quietly, his lips barely moving, sensing Kimiko's hesitation he elaborated "She's still watching us. Don't worry I won't try anything." Kimiko slowly slid her arms around Raimundo's neck, having to go on her tiptoes due to his height.

"Now, close your eyes" Raimundo whispered and waited until she did as he said before continuing "Don't slap me." Kimiko's eyes snapped open in confusion before his lips brush softly against hers and linger there for a few moments. Kimiko could feel her heart pounding against her chest and was sure that he could hear it, however if he did, he made no indication. Although he could feel heat radiating off of her face, she was obviously blushing. As soon as he pulled back she stared at him blankly, before either of them could say anything they heard the tell-tale snap of a camera.

Raimundo cursed under his breath, the last thing he wanted was to be in the gossip rags tomorrow morning.

"Put your head down and keep your eyes shut." Raimundo instructed her quickly, pulling off his blazer he draped it over her head and quickly pulled her into the restaurant across the street. The photographer was stopped from entering but the restaurant's security and the pair were seated in a secluded booth at the back of the shop. A waiter came over to them looking too eager for Raimundo's taste.

"We'll both have water and if I see even a description of this girl anywhere tomorrow morning, believe me you won't even get a job sweeping streets." Raimundo pinched the bridge of his nose "bring me the maître d' well." The waiter nodded and walked off briskly.

"Raimundo," Kimiko said sweetly before her expression changed to one of anger "What the hell just happened?" She tossed his blazer back at him, hitting the boy square in the face. Not missing a chance to wind up the blue eyed girl across from him, he slouched in his seat.

"Nothing." He smirked at her knowing that her not knowing would irritate her.

"Raimundo Pedrosa," she said his name dangerously low and yanked his tie causing him to jerk towards her, "Explain to me in detail, what just happened."

"Girl, you're _a lot_ stronger than you look," She arched an eyebrow in response, obviously not impressed with him trying to change the subject. "Fine. I guess you can probably assume what happened with Angela-"

"Sarah" Kimiko corrected

"Whatever. Anyway, we had a…_thing_ for a night and now she's turned into a psychotic stalker. So I told her you were my girlfriend to get her leave me alone, she didn't believe me which shows that she has more than two brain cells. Anyway so I pretended to kiss you, she left, there were paparazzi behind us who recognised me who took a photo. Obviously since you haven't had your interview yet no one knows who you are, but with a bit of investigation it's not really that hard. So I covered your head and we ran in here to keep your identity secret." At the end of his speech he gave her an innocent smile and she let go of his tie.

"So this interview of mine," Kimiko started "When is it?"

"Saturday." Raimundo answered simply, preparing himself for another outburst. He wasn't disappointed.

"WHAT?" Kimiko stood up abruptly and slammed her hands on the table. The waiter quickly placed a glass of water in front of each of them and left.

"Basically, to introduce you formally to the world your dad set you up an interview on a talk show my dad owns. After that you're free to appear in as many tabloids as you want, but until then try not to draw too much attention to yourself." Kimiko ran a shaky hand through her hair, "I would've thought your dad told you this, then again Toshiro was never the most organised person." Raimundo took a sip of his water and acknowledged the approaching maître d' with a nod of his head,

"Mr Pedrosa, it's nice to see you again. I hope you're well." The maître d' motioned to Kimiko "A new girlfriend?" he asked with a small smile.

"Table for thirteen at seven," Raimundo answered, not bothering to entertain conversation with the man.

"Yes of course," he said hurriedly writing it down on his notebook. Raimundo stood up to leave and offered a hand to Kimiko which she took and also got up, gathering her things. The trio walked to the restaurant entrance in silence, when they reached the door Raimundo spoke,

"If you breathe a word of us being here, I'll buy this restaurant myself and fire you all." Kimiko noticed the man's face had pale significantly

"Yes sir. See you at seven."

* * *

><p>The rest of the week sped by too quickly for Kimiko's liking, she and Raimundo had both made front page news in many magazines and newspapers although her identity remained unknown. When she asked Raimundo how he felt about having his face plastered everywhere, he merely waved her off and said it didn't matter as it was a rather regular occurrence, although the paparazzi camping outside his house was starting to aggravate him. Soon it was Friday and her interview was the following afternoon. Everyone around her could tell that she was nervous; it got to the point that it frustrated the normally calm Raimundo. He'd gone off at lunch and met her in the car park talking to Adelina, he handed her a slip of paper with several questions on it.<p>

"It's a list of questions they'll ask you tomorrow. You can use them to prepare I guess." Kimiko squealed excitedly and hugged him tightly; suddenly memories of the events at the shopping district flooded both of their minds. Kimiko let go quickly,

"Thanks…" she trailed off and his scratched the back of his head awkwardly

"No problem," he said quickly and clambered into the car.

* * *

><p>The morning of her interview, Kimiko was woken up by Keiko who had seemingly bounced back out of her depression, yet still seemed a bit off.<p>

"Kimi! Kimi! Kimi!" Keiko shouted while jumping on her bed "Come on, get up!" Kimiko groaned, she had no problems getting up in the morning but she hadn't slept properly the night before due to nerves. Kimiko got showered and dressed into a pair of jeans and a shirt while Keiko checked over the dress she'd be wearing and put it into a clothes bag. It was wine coloured and made of chiffon so it didn't cling very much to her body, there was however a belt to give some definition. Her father had been confused when he had first seen it, a dress having only one shoulder strap and still managing to stay up was a foreign concept to him.

"What if I make a mistake?" Kimiko questioned for the umpteenth time in the car

"Kimiko, you can't make mistakes." Her father said from her right "It's basically just a conversation between you and the hostess."

"He's right Kim, you're stressing over nothing." Keiko flattened part of her friend's hair "The whole thing is going to be relaxed. Trust me."

As soon as they entered the studio where the chat show was filmed Kimiko found herself in a whirlwind of chaos. People were barking orders at each other rapidly in Cantonese while Kimiko and Keiko were led to a room and told to wait.

"Well this is fun" Kimiko commented sarcastically, taking a seat on a stool in front of a large vanity. Keiko hung her dress up on a rail,

"This is where they're gonna do your hair and makeup, so we'll be here a while." Keiko then sat down on a sofa in at the back of the room and began idly flicking through the magazines that had been sitting on a side table. Kimiko took out the folded paper Raimundo had given her the day before and began preparing answers to the questions on the page. They were like this for an hour before two men came in; one set down a tray of food and left while the other introduced himself to Kimiko.

"My name is Edouard Legrand and today I'm going to become intimate with your hair." He stated in a thick French accent while ushering Kimiko on the stool in front of the vanity. She watched in the mirror as Edouard held her hair up in different positions and creating several different partings in her hair before nodding. "Today, we have curls. Ones that tell everyone you're cute but fierce. That is your personality no?"

Kimiko instantly took a liking to man, he wasn't overly flamboyant; wearing a black top and light blue jeans, but he reminded her of the hairdressers that worked miracles on the hair of seemingly hopeless girls.

Kimiko sat in the stool with her eyes closed, occasionally talking to Keiko while Edouard used nearly every hair tool she could think of in order to achieve his vision for her hair. It was when all contact with her hair stopped; she opened her eyes and gasped. Her normally ruler straight hair was now in loose curls, her fringe –which had grown out– had been recut and curled at the ends, framing her face. Kimiko had tried many times to curl her hair in the past but each and every time the curl fell out within the hour.

"Edouard, you're a miracle worker!" She exclaimed, beaming at him through the mirror he smiled back at her kindly.

"One of my greatest challenges yet," he fixed parts of her hair so that they weren't in her face "and yet I remain undefeated." He stared at her intensely for a few moments before nodding in approval.

"Kimi, you look great" Keiko complimented her friend, staring in awe, "Really you do."

"Well, now is where I take my leave," Edouard announced "The makeup artist will be here soon. Make sure she doesn't ruin my creation." At Kimiko's acknowledgement he left the room, shutting the door softly behind him.

"I need to get that man for New Year's" Keiko said wistfully, eyeing the door as if he'd walk through it again. However, it was the makeup artist, who introduced herself as Mei-Feng in very broken English, that had entered next. The makeup artist didn't have as much personality as Edouard, Kimiko decided; she was more interested in getting the job done and leaving, so there was very little communication between the two women.

Two abrupt knocks on the door startled Kimiko causing the eyeliner that Mei-Feng had been applying to smudge and the woman to narrow her eyes and sigh in annoyance.

"Is everyone decent?" A voice that was unmistakably Raimundo's called out

"Yes" Keiko called back to spare Kimiko the anger of the makeup artist.

"I'll come back later then." Raimundo replied causing Kimiko to stifle a laugh, moments later he entered the room dressed in dark jeans and a white dress shirt. The room was instantly filled with the smell of his cologne.

"Rai, what are you even doing here?" Keiko asked, looking up at the boy who towered over her. He had a mischievous glint in his eye that unnerved her slightly.

"Well you know," Raimundo started bored, leaning on a wall pretending to inspect his nails, "My dad kinda owns these studios, meaning that I can come and go as and when I please." Keiko rolled her eyes exaggeratedly "What else are you doing here? It's obviously not for your own amusement, you hate being around your father's businesses."

"Gosh Keiko, so nosey" Raimundo sighed dramatically, Kimiko laughed at them earning another irritated look from Mei-Feng "If you must know, because of certain events that transpired earlier on in the week, my picture is on pretty much every tabloid in Brazil, Hong Kong and other places I'm affiliated with"

"Of course I knew that, I'm offended that you even felt the need to explain it to me" Keiko huffed.

"Anyway," he ignored Keiko's interjection and focused on Kimiko "My dad said that I needed to learn that it isn't acceptable to be in the tabloids every other month an activity which only for fame whores, which he sincerely hopes I'm not as he feels they're the scum of the earth, and that he's fed up of all the reporters harassing my family. So, I've got my own little segment before your interview with Lucy Cheng to clear up this whole incident with the mystery girl." He smirked as Kimiko's face turned red; getting her to change colours was easily becoming his favourite activity.

"Should you really be talking about this so openly?" Kimiko interrupted hotly not caring for Mei-Feng's irritated state.

"Don't worry about it," He motioned to Mei-Feng "She doesn't speak English." Keiko sat up considerably straighter, excited at the prospect of new gossip.

"So then, who is this mystery girl?"

"I'm not at liberty to discuss that." He smirked at Keiko's dejected face.

"Come on Rai, with the exception of her," she indicated to Mei-Feng with a tilt of her head "We're all friends in here!" She looked at Raimundo pleadingly.

"Sorry can't say."

"At least describe her, that way I can guess." Raimundo nodded and thought momentarily,

"Well she's really short, slightly shorter than you. Hot headed, vicious temper, surprisingly really strong and quite threatening to tell you the truth." He smirked discreetly at Kimiko before continuing, "She is really pretty though. She's got that how porcelain look if you get what I mean; pale skin, dark hair." He intentionally missed out anything to do with Kimiko's eyes, not wanting to give her away.

"Nah can't think of who it might be" Keiko ceded ruefully, "Not your usual type then, you normally go for tall leggy blondes." Raimundo merely shrugged

"I'm not a picky guy."

"True. Considering your track record." Raimundo checked the watch on his wrist; Kimiko noticed that while Raimundo wasn't one for grandeur the face of his watch was covered in diamonds.

"Well guys, I need to go and expose my love life to world," he smirked at Kimiko again "and put all of the Raimundo Pedrosa fan girls out of their misery. You can be the first one if you like?"

"Hah. The only one you mean" Kimiko retaliated this time earning a growl from Mei-Feng and a reprimand in Cantonese she didn't understand a word of.

"She said sit still and stop talking," Keiko translated for Kimiko, Raimundo chuckled.

"Be a good girl until I come back. Okay Kimiko?" he exited the room narrowly avoiding the bag Kimiko threw at him.

Mei-Feng shot out of the room as soon as she finished Kimiko's makeup, Keiko speculated this was probably so that she wasn't arrested on grounds of grievous bodily harm. Kimiko quickly put on her dress with the aid of Keiko and was led to a set by the same group of people she had seen when she first walked in. She saw her father standing near some cameras and made her way over to him. Raimundo was still talking to the hostess, Lucy Cheng, the way he seemed so calm as if there wasn't a live audience and it wasn't being broadcast live made her jealous.

"See Kimiko, it's just a conversation." Her father leaned down and whispered to her. She nodded never taking her eyes off Raimundo who was making the audience and the hostess laugh with ease.

"So to clarify, this mystery girl, there's nothing going on between you?" Lucy asked Raimundo, intrigued by the story.

"Nothing at all. She's just a friend and I was protecting her from an old flame that's become quite stalkerish. She's the type of girl that wouldn't be comfortable having everyone making up stories about us two having a secret love affair or something, so I wanted to make sure that her photo wasn't taken." He gave his signature smile to the audience "Because that's the kind of loving, caring guy that I am. Do you agree?" He was met with loud applause, laughter and jeering.

"You're not at all angry with the accusations that you have a secret lover?" Raimundo shook his head.

"To be honest I could understand why most people would jump to the conclusion that I had a girlfriend, after all I've had quite a few. Although in my defence most of those were just flings. I can't really get why anyone would think I had a lover though, I'm only sixteen! I have a lot more time for complicated things like that."

She didn't realise that her time was coming up until the audience began to clap and Raimundo was walking off set. She quickly started to go through the questions Raimundo had presented her with as her father guided her on set with a hand on her shoulder.

"Good luck" she heard Raimundo whisper to her as they passed each other but she didn't have a chance to thank him. Kimiko sat down in a plush chair next to her father and the hostess began to speak.

"And now, I have the pleasure of being the first person to publicly introduce Miss Kimiko Tohomiko; only child of Toshiro Tohomiko. For those of you who don't know, Toshiro Tohomiko is the founder and CEO of the world's biggest electronics company, Tohomiko Electronics." There was a collective gasp in the audience and Kimiko felt many eyes trained on her but forced herself not to look down at her hands. "It came as a huge shock to me when I got the call from my boss telling me that we'd have an exclusive with the sole heiress of Mister Tohomiko. This is going to send shockwaves through both the media and corporate world, so remember you heard it here first!" The hostess turned to her "Miss Tohomiko, what was your life like before coming to live with your father." Lucy gave her a wide smile showing her teeth that were unnaturally white, Kimiko couldn't tell whether it was genuine or not.

"Well, I was born Kimiko Takashima June 5th in Tokyo where I grew up before moving to Hong Kong and having my surname changed. I went to Sakuramachi High School in Tachikawa and lived with just my mother in a two bedroom apartment. I guess I had a pretty typical upbringing despite having a single mother, I always had the things I needed and she was always there to support me." Kimiko gave a watery smile as she thought of her mother, she blinked back her tears.

"That's lovely, don't you all think so?" Lucy asked the crowd and was answered with applause and many "aww's" "Did you have any idea that you were actually the daughter of the fourth richest man on the planet?" Kimiko had no idea that her father was _that_ rich, it made her wonder if all of the money came solely from his company.

"No not at all. Like I said I had a very normal upbringing, I got everything I needed but not necessarily everything I wanted. My mother worked hard every day to give us everything we had. She pushed me like any other parent to do my absolute best in school and tried hiding all the unpleasant things in life from me." Kimiko noted Lucy genuinely looked touched by her story "I suppose now that I think about it, everything she did like making me attend an English language school and learning formal dining etiquette was to prepare me for this life. But I thought I was living the life of an average Japanese teenager."

"So growing up did you ever ask about your father? Who he was? What he did?"

"When I was younger, I did quite a lot but my mother always told me, "I'm your mother and father. Stop asking questions." As I got older I was never that bothered, I was living a good life. I never realised until now, how much of a difference having a father could make." After saying that Toshiro brought her into a one armed embrace from his seat next to her and another round of "aww's" were heard from the audience.

"Aside from the glaringly obvious things, how is your life different now?" Lucy questioned her

"I hate to say it, but he's a big pushover." She smiled up to her father and he glared at her playfully, "My mother never let me do what I wanted, but he can't say no to my cute face. Also, his forms of discipline are completely different, personally I think they're quite cruel but I suppose being on the receiving end makes me biased."

"My disciplinary methods are anything but cruel!" her father interjected, "If anything I think I'm too lenient."

"How is making me carry a room full of shopping bags up two flights of stairs not cruel? It's child labour at the very least!"

"You had the maid, the cook and the cook's son to help you. Anyone would think I had some sort of sweatshop going on in my house." Everyone laughed at the antics between father and daughter. The rest of the interview continued as such, Toshiro cutting in at times when he felt the portrayal of his character was unfair.

"One final question," Lucy announced and leaned in close "Mr Tohomiko, I'm sure everyone wants to know, why does Kimiko have blue eyes? It's almost unheard of in Asians, I'm certain there are many people watching who doubt her parentage."

"My great grandmother on my mother's side was Swedish, her name was Elise Carlsson. The Japanese genes were dominant I suppose seeing as how both my grandmother and mother both look completely Japanese. So to sum it up Kimiko has her great great grandmother's eyes." Toshiro gave the audience a hard stare "To quash any doubt anyone may have, when Kimiko was born we had a paternity test done; she is very much my offspring. I want this to be the last I hear of it."

"I don't know if anyone else agrees, but I think Miss Tohomiko has grown up to be a delightful young lady under the care of her mother and things can only get better under the watchful eye of her father." She turned to Kimiko and her father with her wide smile "It was lovely having you both here on the show." The audience gave one final round of applause and Toshiro led Kimiko off the set. They met up with Keiko and walked out to where a car was waiting for them.

"See that wasn't too bad was it?" her father asked her smirking slightly

"I bet those questions from Raimundo helped a lot too." Keiko added, Kimiko thought back over the interview briefly.

"You know," she said thoughtfully "None of the questions on that paper came up."

* * *

><p>That night, Kimiko sat in the dark on the windowsill in her room, once again staring at the city's bright lights. She went over the day's events in her head, laughing when she remembered Edouard's passion for her hair and the play fights with her father, frowning at Mei-Feng's attitude and the way she was rushed about in the morning. But one thing stuck with her that made her smile.<p>

_He thinks I'm pretty._

* * *

><p><strong>Well there you have it, another chapter! What do you all think of the portrayal of Ashley's character? I know she was evil in the series, but since she's had all of these bad things happen to her in the fic, I can't help but not make her an antagonist. <strong>

**On another note, I hope you all had a Merry Christmas and are looking forward to a fun New Year's! Let's hope I can get another chapter done before 2012. Don't forget to review and leave all of your thoughts! **


End file.
